headshot of a woman with brown hair and glasses

Hamutahl Cohen

Entomology Advisor

Ph.D. , University of California, Santa Cruz. 2018
B.S. , University of California, Berkeley. 2011

Hamutahl works on complex agricultural and environmental issues as an Entomology Advisor with UC Cooperative Extension in Ventura County. Hamutahl holds her Ph.D. in Environmental Science and applies >13 years of experience in entomology, horticulture, and ecology to enhance sustainable agriculture and pest management.

At UC ANR she conducts research on a myriad of issues related to arthropods in Ventura crops, including citrus, avocado, berries, and more. Her interests include insect identification and monitoring, biology and phenology, pesticide resistance, pesticide application & human safety, conservation of endangered species, and development and evaluation of integrated pest management methods with an emphasis on biological and cultural controls.

Hamutahl is heavily involved in communication: she has authored books, articles, and blogs for academic, industry, and public audiences and has given numerous workshops about topics such as sustainable food systems, pollinator conservation, climate change, integrated pest management, and more.

Peer reviewed

  • Cohen, H.; Warner, L.A.; Goodiel, Y.A.; Klein, R.W.; Israel, G.D. (2026). Adapting needs assessment to detect distinct target audiences and tailor program delivery. HortTechnology. 36:3, 366-374.
  • Dashtarzhaneh, M.K.; Jiang, X.; Xu, J.; Faber, B.; Cohen, H.; Zhong, Y.; Duan, C.; Du, K.; Khodadadi, R. (2026). Implementing Honey Bee Surveillance for the Detection of Avocado Sunblotch Disease in California. Plant Disease.
  • Bishop, G.; Kleijn, D.; Albrecth, M.; …Fijen, T.P.M. (2025). Critical habitat thresholds for effective pollinator conservation in agricutlural lanscapes. Science. 389:6767, 1314-1319.
  • Cohen, H; Berris-Valdez, M. (2025). Field efficacy of isocycloseram (Plinazolin Technology SC200), a new insecticide product for control of diamondback moth in cabbage in Southern California, 2024. Arthropods Management Tests. 50 (1).
  • Tsang, T.; De Santis, A.; Armas-Quiñonez, G. (2025). Land use change consistently reduces alpha but not beta and gamma diversity of bees. Global Change Biology. 31(1):e70006.
  • Smith, G.P.; H., Cohen; Zorn, J.F.; McFrederick, Q.S.; Ponisio, L.C. (2024). Plant-pollinator network architecture does not impact intraspecific microbiome variability. Molecular Ecology. 33:7.
  • Ponisio, L.C.; Cohen, H.; Galbraith, S.M.; Zorn, J.F.; Zitomer, R.A.; Rivers, J.W. (2023). Host and floral communities shape parasite prevalence and reproduction in intensively managed forests. Ecosphere. 15:1.